Story by Tendai Munengwa
The Stakeholders Consultation and Validation Workshop for National Blue Economy Strategy which aims to ensure the country derives maximum value from fisheries and water resources is underway in Harare.
In November 2018, African leaders mandated the African Union to come up with blue economy strategy that will guide members states sustainable development and utilisation of aquatic resources.
It is against this background that stakeholders from different countries are convening in Harare to solicit views from Zimbabwe which will feed into the African Blue Economy Strategy.
“We are making deliberations and contributions on the African blue economy whose main objective is to get Zimbabwe’s input into how best to get value for growth of livelihoods from aquatic embedded sectors, especially the fisheries. We have managed to do this in other countries and this will feed into the African Union blue economy strategy, said a stakeholder, Georges Mba Asseko.
The National Blue Economy Strategy for Zimbabwe will shape how the populace can economically benefit from vast water bodies the country is endowed with.
“Remember we have over 10, 000 water bodies and the idea here is to find how best can we use our fisheries, to ensure each relevant sector benefit from it, so this workshop will come up with tangible benefits like employment creation, tourism, and transportation, noted Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Permanent Secretary, Professor Obert Jiri.
The three-day engagement is expected to bring stakeholders from fishing, water, tourism and transport, among others, to share ideas with SADC and African Union to shape National Blue Economy Strategy.
